NEWSFLASH: President Bush Not A Statistician

The Bush Administration is furiously backpeddling away from its earlier job growth predictions for 2004:

The White House backed away Wednesday from its own
prediction that the economy will add 2.6 million new jobs before the
end of this year, saying the forecast was the work of number-crunchers
and that President Bush was not a statistician. Bush, himself, stopped
short of echoing the prediction. "I think the economy's growing, and I
think it's going to get stronger," said Bush, the nation's first MBA
president. He said he was pleased that 366,000 new jobs have been added
since August. "But I'm mindful there are still people looking for work,
and we've got to continue building on the progress we've made so far."
The administration's refusal to back its own jobs estimate brought
criticism from John Kerry, the front-runner for the Democratic
presidential nomination. "Now George Bush is saying he's going to
create 2.6 million jobs this year alone - and his advisors are saying,
'What, you didn't actually believe that, did you?' Apparently George
Bush is the only person left in the country who actually believes the
far-fetched promises he's peddling," Kerry said in a statement.

UPDATE: Amazingly enough, the White House Press Corps has
finally grown a collective set of nuts. Ever since the AWOL fiasco,
they've been asking questions and following them up with other questions. Take a gander at this unprecedented exchange:

Q: Can you answer the specific question, though? Was this
report -- was the prediction of this many jobs, 2.6 million jobs,
vetted prior to publication by the entire economic team? MR. McCLELLAN:
It's an annual report, David. It goes through the usual -- it goes
through the usual -- Q: That's not the question. Was it or was it not
vetted by the entire economic team? MR. McCLELLAN: It's an annual
report. It goes through the usual -- Q: So you don't know, or it was,
or it wasn't? MR. McCLELLAN: Can I get -- can I finish that sentence?
Q: When you answer the question. Let's hear it. What's the answer? MR.
McCLELLAN: The answer was, it is an annual economic report and it goes
through the normal vetting process. And if you would let me get to
that, I would answer your question. Q: -- the full economic team vetted
the prediction -- MR. McCLELLAN: It's an annual economic report. It's
the President's Economic Report. But again, the President -- Q: Just
say yes or no -- MR. McCLELLAN: -- it goes through the normal -- it
goes through the normal vetting process. Q: So the answer is, yes. I'm
not done yet, I've got another one. MR. McCLELLAN: Okay. Q: Why -- if
you're suggesting that people will debate the numbers, that's kind of a
backhanded way to say, oh, who cares about the numbers. Well,
apparently, the President's top economic advisors do, because that's
why they wrote a very large report and sent it to Congress. So why was
the prediction made in the first place, if the President and you and
his Treasury Secretary were going to just back away from it? MR.
McCLELLAN: Well, one, I disagree with the premise of the way you stated
that. This is the annual Economic Report of the President and the
economic modeling is done this way every year. It's been done this way
for 20-some years. Q: So why not -- why aren't you standing behind it?
MR. McCLELLAN: I think what the President stands behind is the policies
that he is implementing, the policies that he is advocating. That's
what's important. Q: That's not in dispute. The number is the question.
MR. McCLELLAN: I know, but the President's concern is on the number of
jobs being created -- Q: My question is, why was the prediction made --
MR. McCLELLAN: -- and the President's focus is on making sure that
people who are hurting because they cannot find work have a job. That's
where the President's focus is. Q: Then why predict a number? Why was
the number predicted? Why was the number predicted? You can't get away
with not -- just answer the question. Why was that number predicted?
MR. McCLELLAN: I've been asked this, and I've asked -- I've been asked,
and I've answered. Q: No, you have not answered. And everybody watching
knows you haven't answered. MR. McCLELLAN: I disagree.

Posted by flow Frazao on February 18, 2004 at 01:17 PM | Permalink